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Contemporary Perspective on GWR Signalling: Semaphore Swansong
Ações de livro
Comece a lerDuração: 502 páginas3 horas
- Editora:
- Crowood
- Lançado em:
- Jun 30, 2015
- ISBN:
- 9781847979506
- Formato:
- Livro
Descrição
For over 150 years Britain's railways have relied on a system of semaphore signalling, but by 2020, all semaphore signals and lineside signal boxes will be gone. A Contemporary Perspective on GWR Signalling provides a unique record of the last operational mechanical signalling and infrastructure on Britain's railway network, as it applied to the former Great Western Railway (and lines owned jointly with other companies). It also includes a comprehensive explanation of what mechanical signalling is and how it works. Beautifully illustrated with over 400 contemporary images and with detailed information from a 2003-2014 survery, this is an essential resource for anyone with an interest in the traditional signalling systems of railways in Britain. The book covers: lineside signalling equipment - semaphore signals, brackets and gantries, and other variations; ways of working, from Absolute Block to Track Circuit Block (TCB); detailed coverage of the signal boxes and infrastructure on Network Rail, including routes through Shrewsbury, Hereford, Worcester, Cornwall, Chester and North Warwickshire; and diagrams of the major routes.
Ações de livro
Comece a lerDados do livro
Contemporary Perspective on GWR Signalling: Semaphore Swansong
Duração: 502 páginas3 horas
Descrição
For over 150 years Britain's railways have relied on a system of semaphore signalling, but by 2020, all semaphore signals and lineside signal boxes will be gone. A Contemporary Perspective on GWR Signalling provides a unique record of the last operational mechanical signalling and infrastructure on Britain's railway network, as it applied to the former Great Western Railway (and lines owned jointly with other companies). It also includes a comprehensive explanation of what mechanical signalling is and how it works. Beautifully illustrated with over 400 contemporary images and with detailed information from a 2003-2014 survery, this is an essential resource for anyone with an interest in the traditional signalling systems of railways in Britain. The book covers: lineside signalling equipment - semaphore signals, brackets and gantries, and other variations; ways of working, from Absolute Block to Track Circuit Block (TCB); detailed coverage of the signal boxes and infrastructure on Network Rail, including routes through Shrewsbury, Hereford, Worcester, Cornwall, Chester and North Warwickshire; and diagrams of the major routes.
- Editora:
- Crowood
- Lançado em:
- Jun 30, 2015
- ISBN:
- 9781847979506
- Formato:
- Livro
Sobre o autor
Allen Jacksonis the senior pastor of World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, TN, one ofthelargestchurchesinthenation, where he has been in ministry since 1981. He is also the founder of Allen Jackson Ministries, which reaches millions of people with the gospel each year.
Relacionado a Contemporary Perspective on GWR Signalling
Amostra do livro
Contemporary Perspective on GWR Signalling - Allen Jackson
Index
Preface
Although this book is largely a celebration of the past it could not have been written without twenty-first-century help.
After a long period of decline and neglect the railways are vital to many people’s lives once more and it is right that the network be modernized and forward-looking.
The book has been written to appeal to the interested layperson rather than the signalling professional although grateful thanks are necessary to those people for their patient explanations of how it works.
Fig. 1 Class 66, 66 085 thunders through Craven Arms, Shropshire, heading north under clear signals on a Llanwern to Shotton steelworks working, August 2014.
Introduction
For over 150 years the safety, organization and efficient running of Britain’s railways have relied on a system of semaphore signalling controlled from signal boxes, but by 2020, we are told, what remains of our rich heritage will no longer have a part in controlling the nation’s network. This process of change has, however, been going on for around 100 years: in 1947, for example, there were about 10,000 signal boxes and in 2014 there were about 800 on Network Rail. By 2020 there will be fourteen.
Fig. 2 Looking at the jumble of signals from the Wolverhampton line towards Shrewsbury station with the largest mechanical signal box in the world at Severn Bridge Junction in the background, July 2014.
Luckily, in these islands, we have a preserved railway scene second to none and many of these railways have signalling systems that fully represent the semaphore and signal box scene that is so quickly disappearing from the national picture. The National Railway Museum at York has many signalling relics as well as the renowned Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway signalling school. In addition there is much signalling equipment in private hands and you can come across it almost anywhere.
The purpose of this volume is to present a record of the last of the operational mechanical signalling and infrastructure on our railway network as it applied to the former Great Western Railway including lines owned jointly with other companies.
Even at the outset the main lines in Britain had largely been modernised and it was a process begun in the 1960s. This has meant that large areas of the network have no mechanical signalling or signal boxes left and it has been so for some years now.
The GWR had its own way of doing things and some of that is retained to this day. Whilst most of the early railway companies sought to subcontract out the manufacture of signalling equipment, the GWR was ahead of its time in having its own signal works at Caversham Road in Reading. It was unusual in favouring the lower quadrant signal arm and persisting with that until the end of its existence on 31 December 1947. This means that the arm is normally at danger in the horizontal position (as on the title page photo at Worcester Shrub Hill), but when giving a Line Clear the arm drops down to below the horizontal. The Midland Railway and North Eastern Railways and others, which all disappeared in 1923 with the grouping of the railways into the ‘Big Four’, also favoured this style. The reason lower quadrant fell out of favour was to do with safety. Manually operated signals are usually worked by an iron rod called the down rod. The worry was that if this rod broke, a lower quadrant signal would naturally droop to show an OFF or clear indication and possibly cause an accident. It is always better if devices fail safely and it was felt a lower quadrant would not.
As originally the arms were made of wood the Great Western got round this problem by making the spectacle, or the thing that holds the lens, of heavy cast iron. This would counterbalance the weight of the arm should the down rod break and hold it at ON or danger.
In 2003, when I realised that the mechanical signalling way of life on our railways was coming to an end I started the photographic collection that has provided the material for the book. My survey eventually took in the whole of mainland Britain. This has brought us up to 2015 and material is still being enhanced and added to in the race to beat the clock.
CHAPTER 1
Lineside Signalling Equipment
Semaphore Signals
The Home Signal
The purpose of this signal could be described simply as stop or go. In the horizontal position the signal is said to be ON or stop. When the arm moves down from the horizontal by an angle of at least 60 degrees it is OFF or go.
The semaphore signal has evolved over time with operational experience and different materials used. Originally signal posts were made of wood, as were the arms. Posts since the 1940s are tubular steel and arms enamelled steel. The Western Region of British Railways continued with the steel style.
The oil lamp would originally be filled and trimmed every day, then later once a week and now they are electrically lit. The ladder was to allow access to the lamp and lens for cleaning. The post is finished off with a finial at the top, which apart from being decorative protects the timber post from the weather. Finials also appear on tubular post signals but more as decorative items.
The bottom few feet of the wooden post that is buried would be burned and charred to inhibit rot. Some wooden post signals survived into the 2000s so would have been at least sixty years old.
Fig. 3 The down platform starter at Carrog, Llangollen Railway, protecting the route to Corwen, April 2008.
The example of the wooden post signal in Fig. 3 is at Carrog on the Llangollen Railway, in April 2008. The tapered wooden post is a reproduction and the signal arm has a distinctive ‘swan neck’ shape around the lens casting. This is classic GWR of the 1920s and 1930s and now exists only on the preserved railway scene.
Fig. 4 One of the last wooden post GWR signals on Network Rail at Shrewsbury, October 2003.
Just about the last survivor of a wooden post GWR signal on Network Rail was at Shrewsbury, controlled by Crewe Junction signal box. It was still working in October 2003. It had lost its finial by this time and had replacement steel arms, as shown in Fig. 4.
Fig. 5 The ‘go’ condition displayed at Greenford East, London, April 2006.
Fig. 5 clearly illustrates a tubular post signal that is most definitely OFF or go. The lenses through which the lamp shines are red and blue as the original oil lamp would shine a yellow colour. When OFF the signal would then display a green light as required.
This is a cloistered enclave of semaphore signalling in west London which is surrounded by signalling modernity. Note the London Underground Limited (LUL) tube lines in the background. The rumblings of Crossrail are not far away.
Semaphore signals are usually operated by a series of wires and pulleys and bellcranks. A bellcrank is just a lever that lets a signal wire change direction and can amplify or diminish movement.
Fig. 6 The foot of a tubular steel signal post with the operating wires going round a pulley to operate the signal lever. There are two wires as there are two signals on this post. Worcester Shrub Hill station, July 2014.
A similar principle is employed with points. All the equipment is connected to a lever in a signal box or sometimes to levers by the lineside known as a ground frame. In Fig. 6 the lever has a counterbalance weight that can be slid up and down the lever and then locked when the optimum balance position has been found. The signal technician will need this facility to set the signals up initially.
Fig. 7 The complete signal at Worcester Shrub Hill station, July 2014.
The lever operates the ‘down rod’, the black rod going vertically upwards which operates the signal arm. If the wire breaks the signal will return to ON or stop and is therefore failsafe. Fig. 7 shows the complete signal at Worcester Shrub Hill station.
The action of a train driver who passes a signal at danger is referred to as a SPAD (signal passed at danger) and this can have dire consequences. The Paddington rail crash of October 1999 was a SPAD and the cost was thirty-one people killed and over 400 injured. It was subsequently decided that the signal involved was badly sighted. There is a section on signal sighting later on in the Introduction.
The Distant Signal
A train that is moving fast and is heavy to the tune of several hundred tons possesses momentum, and this means any change in speed can take a while to take effect. The media will often compare it to a supertanker ship.
The distant signal is placed before the home signal to warn the train driver that the next signal might say stop and the distance between the signals gives the driver time to bring the train to a stand if needed.
A distant signal in the ON or horizontal position means proceed with caution and be prepared to stop at the next home signal. OFF means the next home signal is also OFF. The distance between home and distant signals is often a function of the maximum line speed: the higher the speed, the greater the distance between distant and home signals. In confined station areas, where speeds are low, the distance can be much reduced. The distance between a distant and home signal is often several hundred yards.
The yellow fishtailed distant signal is now quite rare and most certainly an endangered species. It has been largely replaced by colour light signals even in areas where semaphore home signals are prevalent. Colour lights are much easier to see in foggy and low light conditions and are considered safer.
Fig. 8 A home and distant signal on one post. The home signal is saying proceed but the distant is saying proceed with caution and be prepared to stop at the next home signal. These signals are between Severn Bridge Junction and Sutton Bridge Junction Shrewsbury, July 2014.
In Fig. 8 the home signal is OFF but the distant is ON, meaning proceed past this signal but be prepared to stop at the next signal. This is a common means of slowing a train down when it is to take a slower line at the next junction signal. In this case the train is headed along the former Cambrian line, which is a slower-speed diverging route than straight on towards Hereford.
Fig. 9 The same home and distant signal on one post as in Fig. 8 . The home signal and distant signals together indicate proceed and expect the next home signal to be also OFF, Shrewsbury, July 2014.
In Fig. 9 the train is obviously going down the Hereford line as both ‘boards’ are off. Note the modernized ladders and hoops on this Shrewsbury signal.
Some parts of the former GWR, Western Region British Railways, were hived off to other regions. Some of the area around Shrewsbury became London Midland Region from the 1960s and so other influences have been creeping in. Upper quadrant signals similar to ex-LMS designs are to be seen.
Fig. 10 Upper quadrant home and distant signals, with calling on arm below them on the same post at Sutton Bridge Junction Shrewsbury, July 2014.
The distant signal in Fig. 10 is an upper quadrant at Sutton Bridge Junction Shrewsbury but the two signals behind it on the opposite track are still lower quadrant. This distant signal is fixed at caution, meaning the next home signal nearer Shrewsbury station may be ON so proceed with caution.
These signals, which are permanently at caution, are referred to as ‘fixed distants’. This is why there is no lens in the OFF position. The signal is never OFF so it doesn’t need one.
As mentioned above, the distant would be ON to slow a train for the lower speed at a junction. The bracket signal on the right of the picture is the junction in question, with the right-hand arm for the Cambrian and the left for Hereford branch.
Before World War I GWR distant signal arms were red with the fishtail shape.
The Calling On Signal Arm
In Fig. 10 there is a smaller arm with red and white stripes below the home and distant arms. The purpose of this is to enable a train to enter a track where a train may already be standing, for example where two fairly short trains will occupy the same platform at a station. This is fairly commonplace as trains in recent years have got shorter but more frequent.
The mode of operation is to leave the home signal ON or at danger and bring the train to a stand. The signaller then sets the calling on arm to clear or OFF. This is to signify to the driver to proceed with the utmost caution.
Fig. 11 Home and calling on arms controlling the entry to Shrewsbury station platform 7 from the Crewe line. Crewe Junction signal box, Shrewsbury, July 2014.
Calling on arms are never used outside station areas where speeds are usually much higher and the required manoeuvre is not needed. Fig. 11 is a very modern incarnation of lower quadrant home signal and calling on arm.
Fig. 12 Bracket signal controlling entry to Shrewsbury station from the Chester line, July 2014.
There is a refinement to the calling on arm, using a device that can convey additional information, as shown in Fig. 12. The indicator is used to display either a C or a W character. A C tells the train driver to expect the platform to be occupied by another train further down towards the end. The W is to warn the train driver that although the platform may be clear, the track after the home signal that the platform is controlled by is blocked. This is an additional safety precaution lest the driver should overrun or pass the home signal at danger. The colloquial term for this indicator is a ‘stencil box’.
Ground Disc Signals
These signals are usually used to signal a manoeuvre across a crossover, where a train moves from one running line to the other, or to enter a siding or loop line. Loop lines are used to store trains temporarily while they are overtaken by a faster train or to quarantine a train that has broken down. Access to loops can also be by conventional running signals.
The term ground disc is universally used despite the fact that some signals are now raised from the ground to be at or near the same level as normal running signals. It does make sense that the track would be easier to follow if the signals are at a uniform height. On the other hand, there is also a view that placing these signals up with the running signals might confuse drivers, particularly at night. There is no set policy, however, and the final arbiter is always the visibility to a driver of a signal.
Fig. 13 Ground disc controlling entry to goods loop at Craven Arms Crossing, south Shropshire, August 2014.
In Fig. 13 there is a ground signal almost right on the crossing at Craven Arms, which controls the reverse entry to the goods loop. The normal way of entry is by ordinary running signals on posts – left to right in the picture. This signal enables a train to reverse into the loop. It is on the right-hand side of the track, as the driver looks back while reversing, and being on the left side of the locomotive, would be able to see the aspect. The GWR had such a device as a backing signal, and these can still be found in preservation at Bridgnorth and Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway. They were often found together with a route indicator or cash register to signify which of several routes the train was reversing down.
The signal is wire operated and you can see the wire disappearing up to the top right-hand corner of the picture. Part-way down the wire is a steel bar, and the purpose of this is to slot into another bar at right angles which is attached to the point or turnout in question. These are detection slide bars.
This bar at right angles has slots cut into it that coincide with a slot cut into the ground disc bar. This locks the ground disc to display only the correct indication relative to the point’s position. This feature of interlocking is a universal safety feature in railway signalling and one we shall return to later.
The signal has a standard electric lamp fitting of plastic with LEDs for illumination.
Fig. 14 Double-decker ground disc signals, upper quadrant, Sutton Bridge Junction Shrewsbury, July 2014.
Ground discs can be stacked up, one above the other, as in Fig. 14; in this case the lower disc refers to the track nearest the driver and the upper disc to the one further away. This arrangement harks back to earlier days when subsidiary signals in shunting yards or station areas would be arranged one above the other. I seem to recall the maximum on one post was six signals.
Fig. 15 Black ground disc with a yellow stripe at Worcester Shrub Hill station, July 2014.
Fig. 16 Black ground disc with a yellow stripe at Moreton-in-Marsh station, Gloucestershire, September 2009.
A ground disc can even have a different-coloured disc, as in Figs 15 and 16. This is where it is required that a locomotive or train passes the disc when it is ON where there is repetitive shunting going on to avoid the signaller having to change the aspect of the disc signal every time the train approaches the disc. Railways in the past have referred to such relaxations as ‘permissive’ working. A calling on arm may be thought of this way. These permissive signals were much more common in steam days when most trains would be shunted at some point. More recently, trains are described as a ‘block’ or in sets and so shunting is much reduced and the need for such signals is consequently reduced. They are now quite rare.
Fig. 17 Elevated ground discs coming off the Chester line, Crewe Junction signal box, July 2014.
When a ground disc is not a ground disc in terms of its position it can be referred to colloquially as a disc or dolly or even a ground dolly. A signal on a post is sometimes referred to as a doll and perhaps a diminutive of doll is dolly. Anyway, elevated ground discs, as in Fig. 17, are becoming increasingly common compared with their lower altitude cousins.
Fig. 18 Elevated ground disc on a bracket signal at Par station, Cornwall, October 2004.
Fig. 18 shows a good example of an elevated ground disc at Par
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